What's the punch for the money?
Would you like to give yourself or someone close to you an extraordinary object for a special occasion? How to
find the best silversmith? An essential parameter is to recognize the true from the false so as not to be swindled and ruined for a plating. But how to find the real ones? It's simple, just look at the punches! What's a punch? Where to find it? Is it found on all goldsmiths of all materials?
What's a hallmark ?
In fact, a hallmark is a tiny mark found on jewellery and objects, which guarantees their quality and alloy. It can be jewellery or objects made of gold or silver. The hallmark is either affixed to the object by the French guarantee office after a complete control, or by the designer of the object as a signature, and therefore named "master's hallmark". In general, the hallmark affixed to gold or silverware is used to guarantee that it is made of solid gold or silver and not simply plated. For example, the silver jewellery hallmark is used to determine the silver content of the jewellery. However, it is interesting to know that silver hallmarking is only mandatory for objects weighing more than 30 grams.
Silver hallmarks
There are many different types of silver punches. For example, for solid silver objects, there is a great multitude of them, namely the amphora for silver 999, the Minerva's head for silver 925 and 800, the swan in two shapes for silver less than 500 and more than 500 respectively, the crab for silver 800, the boar's head and the eagle's head for silver 500, the lion for silver 925 and the Britannia for silver 958. In addition, each jeweller can put his own signature on his creation. This signature is often in the form of a diamond punch with engraving. It is often referred to as the "master's hallmark". Another form of hallmark to recognize is the square hallmark with a number inside. It is affixed to silver-plated metals, i.e. metals covered with a layer of silver and not solid silver. This kind of metal is often called "silver-plated". Finally, there are international hallmarks, which vary from country to country.
Location of punches
The punches are tiny, so most of the time you need a magnifying glass to distinguish them. Their location varies according to the type of object. They can be on the back, above, below, or along the edge.